Process of treating snap-bolls of cotton.



APPLIUATION FILED JULY IO, 1911.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

V filled with fully declare the following exact description of for its purpose to W iug the snap bolls 1n connection with the amounts to considerable, ,the aforesaid and present appllcatlons.

JAMES A. SHIELDS, F ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

'aoiaeei,

Specification of Letters ream.

- racemes Jan. 2,1912,

Application filed July 10, i911. Serial No. 63?;794.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, lanes Emanue a citizen of the United States, residing: at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for-Treating Snap-Bells of Cotton; andl do hereby to be a full, clear, and the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

e present invention relates to a process for treating snap bolls of cotton, and has devise a method for treatapparatus set forth in my copendisg applications, filed March 15, 1910, Serial lie. M9322, and filed May 22,1911, Serial lto 628,820, to the end that the material may e transferred through the different stages material goes through a disintegrating or loosening and cleanin process, thus presenting the in better condition for treatment than if it were transferred in bulk. ,As elearlyc et forth in the above identified application these snap bolls are bolls inatured cotton but which have not cracked open because ot-heing frost bitten before or just at the time when they were beginning to crack, and to recover the cotton contained in these bolls, which is the purpose of Summarily stated the invention proposes to break thebolls by suitable apparatus, then to separate the fiber from the cracked shell,

and then to cause the fiber to be loosened or made flufiy through transferring the same by an air holumn.

With the above mentioned purposes in viewthe invention consists in the steps and combination of steps disclosed and hereinafter particularl claimed, and a suitable apparatus for carrying out the process is sh wn by the accompanying illustration.

listening to the construction in detail the apparatus consists in a chute or hopper 1 adapted to receive the bolls in their original from the wagon,

' from which said bolls may be delivered to the chute either by hand, belt elevator or pneumatic conveyor-of any appropriate coni conduit 11.

struction. From the chute 1 the bolls are fed into a braker 2 by a toothed roller 3 and a spiked roller 4: shown diagrammatically in the present drawing. From the rollers 3 and 4 the bolls are delivered on to the breaking apparatus proper, and which consists in a belt 5 traveling on pulleys 6 in the direction of the arrow, which belt conveys the bolls to a similar belt 7 traveling on pulleys 8 in the direction. of the arrow. The outer pair of pulleys '6 and 8 are disposed in such relation that the material carried by the belt 5 is deposited upon the belt 7, and the inner pair of pulleys are dis posed in closer relation than the outer pair to bring the bolls into such position that the bolls are subjected to a crushing action, after which they are fed by a chute 9 into a receiver 10 at the lower end of a pipe or From the receiver 10 the crushed bolls are conveyed by suction through the pipe 11 and into the pipe 12, where they are delivered to a feeder contained within the casing 13 secured at the lower end of the pipe 12. The suction means for carrying the material consists in a fan 14 drawing through a pipe 15 that communicates with the pipe 12. The crushed bolls are delivered to the feeder in the form of a bat which needs to be broken or disintegrated to prevent thelapparatus from clogging, and to effect which said feeder consists in a toothed roller 16 and a spiked roller 17, shown diagrammatically in, this illustration, and a larger roller 18 adapted to coact to separate the hat.

The broken bat is next delivered to a separator having a hopper 19 that receives the material from the chute 20 of the feeder. The separator consists ofa saw. cylinder 21 working through va plurality of ribs 22 that are secured to beams 23, and a spiked cylinder 24. A rotatable cylindrical screen 25 is located directly beneath said spiked cylinder, and is designed to screen or separate from the material the loose particles of dirt, leaves and the like and cause the same to be deposited within a trough 26, whence it is carried ofl by a spiral conveyor 27. The screen 25 is designed to be rotated slowly and carry therewith the seed cotton which takes the course indicated by the arrows and slotted end member 45.

comes out beneath the roller 28 or directly under the pipe 29 for a purpose to be presently explained. A small spiked roller 30 cooperates with the saw cylinder 21 to remove the boll husks or pods as they are separated from the seed cotton, and a receptacle 31 is provided to receive said husks as they are removed by the spiked cylinder 30. When a sutiicient amount of seed cotton has been deposited beneath the pipe 29 said cotton is conveyed by suction through the pipe '29 and delivered into a pipe 32 and then fed to a gin feeder located within the casing 33. The-necessary suction within the pipe 29 for conveying the material as just stated consists in a plpe 34 communicating with the pipe 32 and which branches oil from the pipe 15 that leads to the fan 14. An arrangement is provided and will be presently described for causing suction through either ofthe pipes 11? or 29 while one of said'pipes is closed.

The gin feeder in the casing 33-comprises a pair of rollers 35 and 36 and a cooperating larger roller 37 constructed and operating on the same principle as the feederv contained in the casing 13. From the feeder the seed cotton is delivered by a chute 38 into the hopper 39 of a gin 40', which may be either a huller gin or plain gin. and from the gin 40 the ginned cotton is designed to be conveyed'to a condenser 41. The -cotton seed which separated by the gin is deposited into a receptacle 42, from where it may be carried off. when necessary.

The means for causing suction in either of the pipes 11. and 29, and closing the other, consists in. an oscillating valve 43 fulcrumed at 44 in the pipe'15 and having a A sprocket wheel 46 carrying a chain 47 'is designed to be driven from the shaft of the fan '14. The chain. 4.7 is provided with projecting members 48 disposed at suitable intervals and de signed to contact with opposed arms 49 that are loosely journaled on the shaft of the sprocket 46. A stud 50 is secured to one of said arms and moves within the slotted end 45 of the oscillating valve. As the chain 47 travels over the sprocket 46 the projecting members ,48 successively engage with the arm 4-9, projecting to the left and bring said arm around to the position occupied by the arm shown on the 'right, and in so doing cause the slotted arm of the valve 43 to be moved first to one side and then to the other of the pipe 15, which moves the valve 43 to open and close the pipes 15 and 34 as will be understood.

The receptacles 2G and 4-2 for the pods and cotton seeds respectively are not absolutely necessary to the carrying out of the opera- ,tio'rii 'as the dirt which would fall in the conveyor receptacle 26 can be dropped through the floor and in like manner the pods and seeds can be allowed to drop through the floor and then carried away after accumulation.

At the point where the pipe 15 communicates with the pipe 12 there is provided a screen 42' of fine mesh, the purpose whereof being to prevent the material from entering into the pipe section 15. when the same is entering the pipe 12 from the pipe 11. 'A valve consisting of two flexible members 43 is secured .within the pipe 12 immediately abote the rollers 16 and 17 and has for its purpose to allow of an accumulation of material which will, by the changing of valve 43 from one position to another which cuts off suction and causes flexible valve 43 to open and cotton to fall upon and on rollers 16 and 17. open said valve and fallupon the rollers 16 and 17; and a further purpose of said valves is to close off suction through the pipe 12 and prevent any material from being carried back through said pipe 12, as will be understood. In like manner the pipe 32' is provided with a finemesh screen 45* located to close the opening into the pipe 32 and prevent material from being carried through said pipe. A valve 46 constructed similar to the valve 43 is'mounted in the pipe 32 between the screen 45 and the crushing rollers 35 and 36 and is adapted to act in a similar capacity as said valve 43.

The process set forth herein is also applicable for treating open as Well as snap bolls. Cotton is now picked out by hand from open 'l)olls,avl1ile from the method disclosed herein it is necessary only that these bolls after being pulled from the stalks be passed through the machinery and the cotton picked therefrom as it is being ginned, thereby saving much of the expense of pick ing cotton by the present method. 1

ginning the fiber, substantially as described.

2. The process of treating snap bolls for It is obvious that those skilled in the art the recovery of the fiber thereof consistingin crushing said bolls; transferring the crushed bolls by suction for a relatively great distance; separating the boll husks from the fiber and accumulating the fiber in a pile; transferring the pile of fiber by suction for a relatively great distance to renderthe fiberflutly, and finally ginning the flufi'e'd fiber, substantially as described.

3. The process of treating snap bolls for the recovery of the fiber thereof, consisting in crushing said bolls and forming the same into a bat; transferring said bat by suction for a relatively great distance; breaking up the bat; separating the bat into husks and fiber, andallowing the fiber to accuniulate in a pile; transferring the pile of fiber by suctio for a relatively great distance Whereby to render the fiber iinfi'y; then-breaking 10 the fiufi'ed fiber; and finally ginning" the fiber, substantia ly as (ltSCIllJttl.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signm ture, in presence of two \VliIlQSfit.

' JAMES A. b'lllllllDH.

lVitnesses L. B. HARRIS,

ll. CA nnonn LATIMIKRL. 

